Chemical feeding apparatus



March 31, 1970 PETRUCC] ET AL CHEMI CAL FEEDING APPARATUS Filed March 4,1968 FIG. I /0 INVENTORS RAYMOND MARK PETRUCCI THEggORE CLIFFORD DEPAOLARNEY United States Patent US. Cl. 137--515 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE An anti-syphoning valve for use between the pump of anadditive fluid and a watering system having means for permitting fluidto flow in one direction only and upon operation of the pump only.

The invention here disclosed relates to anti-syphoning devices, and, inparticular, to improvements in valves to prevent the undesired flow ofliquid additives to a material needing treatment, when the additivetransfer mechanism, usually a pump, is not in operation. The device ofthe present invention has specific application, for example, inconnection with the introduction of a chlorine bearing liquid into adomestic water system as described in our pending application Ser. No.595,479, now Patent No. 3,397,642, filed Nov. 18, 1966. In theaforementioned application there is disclosed a diaphragm pump forfeeding chlorine, for example, dependent upon need and operation of thewater system. The device of the present invention is adaptable as avalve control preventing the unwanted feeding of chlorine when such apump is not in operation.

It is a specific object of the invention to provide a valve of the classmentioned which is of simple and sturdy construction, requiring littleor no skill to assemble, install or repair, and which may be operatedfor long periods without maintenance.

It is a further object to provide an anti-Syphon valve having novelmeans of centralizing and loading the flow controlling valving meanstherein.

The above objects and others, and advantages not explicitly set forthwill be apparent from the following specification and appended drawings,of which FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal center-line section of oneembodiment of the invention,

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the spring abutment on an enlargedscale,

FIGURE 3 is an end view of the spring guide, and

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary side elevation of the body of FIGURE 1 as seenin the direction indicated at line 4-4.

Throughout the drawings like parts are indicated by like numbers.

Turning first to FIGURE 1: The complete unit comprises a body 12 havinga plurality of diameters, the smallest of which is the tapered portion14. Viewing from left to right portion 14 is succeeded by the malethreaded part 16, followed by the major diameter portion 18, having,preferably, a ribbed or knurled outer surface suited for digitalgripping. Beyond is a second male threaded part 20, which in turn givesway to a generally plain cylindrical section 22 having a pair of J slots24 formed in its outer end (see FIGURE 4), whose function will be laterexplained. A union nut 26 engages the thread at 16 and, in cooperationwith the tapered portion 14, may be used to make a leakproof connectionbetween a convention tube 28 leading for example from a diaphragm pumpnot shown. The other threaded part 20 provides means for installing thepresent device into a pipeline of the water system (not shown) via, forexample, a T fitting as indicated by dotted lines 30. It will beunderstood that the above described connections form no part of theinventive device, but are merely illustrative of its environment when inuse.

As shown, the body 12 is hollow and has a through passage of varyingdiameter. Again viewing FIGURE 1 from left to right, the smallestdiameter passage 34 is simply a conduit for fluid, which would flow inthe direction indicated by the arrows, it is succeeded by a slightlylarger passage 36 affording space for fluid flow and a so for the stemof a poppet valve 38. Passage 36 in turn gives way to chamber 40 ofsomewhat larger diameter, wherein is situated the head of the valve 38with adequate radial clearance for the passage of fluid. The shoulderformed at the transition from passage 36 to chamber 40, serves as a seat42 With which the valve 38 may have fluid tight engagement. The passageis further enlarged, as at 44, to house a cup-like spring guide 46having a wall longitudinally slotted, as shown at 48, in a convenientnumber of places to permit the passage of fluid. A spring abutment 50 isalso carried in the enlarged passage 44. As shown in FIGURE 2, theabutment 50 is provided with a pair of lugs 52 for locking engagement,in the well known manner, in J slots 24 and a screw driver slot '54 tofacilitate insertion or removal. An axial opening 56 to permit the flowof fluid is also provided in the abutment 50. A compression spring 58 islocated partly within said guide 46 and has one end in thrustingengagement with the abutment 50 so that thrust from the said spring istransmitted through the guide 46 to the head of valve 38, which isthereby urged to its seat 42. As will be seen by reference to FIGURES 1and 3, the end of guide 46 has three ribs 60 extending radially andaxially thereof; they are arranged symmetrically and are proportioned toengage with suitable grooves 62 in the head of valve 38 whereby thelatter is centered in chamber 40 and held concentric with its seat 42.

Generally speaking there are two types of service in which a valve ofthe class disclosed may be used. In the first type the installationwould be substantially as shown in FIGURE 1 where an additive isdelivered by a pump, such as a small diaphragm pump (not shown) via tube28 to a T-connection located 30 in the suction line of a pump drawingwater for example from a well. Here the suction of the water pump wouldbe effective at the T-connection and could, but for the valve, drawadditive through the additive diaphragm pump without the additive pumpbeing actually operated. A similar effect could occur if the water pumpwere shut off and it had no foot valve in its suction line. In a case ofthis nature it is necessary that the spring 58 so load the valve 38 thatthe suction encountered cannot move it from its seat. In this case itwill be apparent that the valve will operate to pass fluid only whenfluid is de livered through tube 28 in sufficient pressure to overcomethe biasing force of spring 58 on the poppet valve 38. Whenever the pumpleading to tube 28, or any other source of fluid to tube 28 is not inoperation the valve will refuse to operate and this chlorine will not besyphoned into the water system.

In the second class of service the valve may be installed without tube28 so as to admit air into a line when the pressure therein becomessub-atmospheric; in this case the valve acts as a syphon breaker and thespring 58 must allow the valve to open at a very low head. Because ofthe drastically dis-similar load conditions which may be encountered,two different springs are needed and here the great ease of springinstallation afforded by the novel abutment is of noteworthy value.

With the exception of spring 58 the entire structure here disclosed maybe, and preferably is, made of moulded synthetic plastic parts needingno machining or finishing and is easily assembled without the use oftools other than a screw-driver to turn the abutment 50 to its lockedposition; the valve 38 is most desirably made of a moderately oftresilient material Such as Hypalon with about an 80 Durometer reading.

It will thus be observed that we have provided a simple, economicaldevice which prevents syphoning in a water system. It will beappreciated that various changes and modifications may he made to thestructure described. Therefore, it is intended that the foregoingdescription is illustrative only of general principles involved and thatthe invention is to be limited only in accordance with the scope of thefollowing claims.

We claim:

1. A device for controlling fluid flow comprising a body having apassage wherethrough fluid may flow in one direction, a valve seatwithin said passage, a valve having a grooved head seatable on said seatto close said passage against fluid flow in other than said onedirection, resilient means within said passage urging said valve ontosaid seat, said valve being movable from said seat by fluid pressureagainst said resilient means to open said passage to fluid flow in saidone direction, an abutment affording a point of reaction for saidresilient means and guide means having a plurality of ribs cooperatingwith the grooved head of said valve interposed between said valve andsaid resilient means affording support thereto and centering said valvein said passage.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein, said passage has a plurality ofdiameters substantially co-axial with each other, the locus of atransition from one diameter to another in said passage affords saidvalve seat and movement of said valve, said guide and said resilientmeans to occur entirely within said passage.

3. The device according to claim 1 wherein the resilient means comprisesa helical spring extending along the axis of said passage with one endabutting the abutment and with its other end supported by and abuttingsaid guide, said guide comprises a cup having a bottom wall and havingan axially extending wall in sliding guiding engagement with a wall ofsaid passage and surrounding a portion of said spring, said valve havingan annular area suited for fluid-tight sealing engagement with said seatand a non-planar area transverse to said passage held concentric withsaid seat and spaced, at least in part from the wall of said passagewhereby space is provided to allow the flow of fluid therethrough.

4. A valve of the class described comprising,

(1) a body having a through passage, said passage having an internaltransverse shoulder constituting a valve seat and said body having,

(a) at one end an area suited for sealing engagement with a tube andfollowed by (b) a male threaded portion adjacent said area suited forengagement with a union nut of known design, and followed by (c) amiddle part suited to be gripped for manipulation and said part beingfollowed by (d) a second male threaded portion adapted for screw threadengagement within a pipe fitting and followed by (e) a nominallycylindrical part smaller in diameter than the root diameter of saidsecond male threaded portion whereby it may pass within a pipe fittinginto which said second male threaded portion may be screwed (f) the wallof said cylindrical part having a J slot of known design (2) a poppetvalve formed at least in part of resilient material, located within saidpassage and being shaped and adapted to (a) contact said seat forfluid-tight passage closing engagement therewith (b) permit fluid flowthrough said passage when not in contact with said seat (0) interlockwith a guide whereby said value and said guide are maintained inconstant axial alignment.

(3) said guide comprising a cup like member having an axially extendingwall and a bottom wall shaped and adapted to interlock with said valveas aforesaid and (a) said axially extending wall being split in an axialdirection, said split affording space for the flow of fluid (4) ahelical compression spring situated in said passage, having one endsupported by said member and its other end abutting an abutment beingbiased to press said member in interlocking engagement with said valvewhereby said valve is urged on to said seat and (5) said abutmentcomprises a disc-like member located transversely of said passage toengage said other end of said spring and having a radially extending lugfor interlocking engagement with said J slot whereby the reactive biasof said spring is transmitted to said body and whereby said abutment,said body, said seat, said valve and said cup-like member and saidspring describe a closed stressed loop.

5. The device according to claim 3, wherein:

said abutment comprises a washer-like body having a radially extendinglug, and said body is provided with a 1 slot at its end, said abutmentbeing interlockingly engageable with said I slot for anchorage to saidbody against axial thrust imposed by said spring.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,297,049 1/1967 Mosovitz 137-5403,363,646 1/1968 Foreman 137-540 3,373,894 3/1968 Johnson.

FOREIGN PATENTS 896,690 5/ 1962 Great Britain.

WILLIAM F. ODEA, Primary Examiner WILLIAM H. WRIGHT, Assistant ExaminerUS. Cl. X.R.

